God save my poor English, let me do this in the easiest way.
First, say something good about this movie.
It's about a dancer, a quite famous one. Although Mr. Li's name was rarely mentioned in mainland China, anybody who works inside the art circle knows a little bit about him. He's once a model to every dancing students in China. After his decision of living in America, everything changed. He's like most of other artists live abroad coming from the Red China, remain as someone called traitor. It's good to have his story filmed and I think it will help his book, an autobiography, asked by people who's curious about that period. This is the first good thing.
As a movie about a dancer, dancing should no doubt take a big role in it. As I see in the movie, those sections from Giselle, Le Sacre du Printemps, Swanlake and event a glimpse of Red Female Troops which is very famous and is indeed created under the direction of Madame Mao. Those dancing sections are long enough and performers are so skillful to handle that. I think it's been a great job for the choreographer who made these dances. Thank to who ever responsible for this.
The script is not so strictly connected to the period, but it's still can be called objective. With some confusion of time and language they use, the basic idea inside the characters are quite real.
So much for praise, and I should move on to criticism.
First is about the book. I don't think these kind of books can be really trusted, though it is called autobiography. People with such background as Mr Li often connects other's stories to their own. I don't mean this affirmatively, since I haven't got any chance to read this book. I just say that there should be some doubts in it. If everything is so clear in it, there shouldn't have been so much confusion in costumes, buildings, ideas which are showed in the movie. I hope these confusions are from the script writer or other crew members who are not so familiar to Chinese situation in that period. It had been a great change after Chairman Mao's death. The clearness of time and policy connected to that will be very helpful to people who watch this movie.
Secondly, I want to say that the part in which Mr Li's parents was brought to Houston to watch a ballet performance is to affected. It's totally beyond what will happen to Chinese. In such circumstance, most Chinese will still act restrained. Also the last part where Mary and Li dance under a red flag. It's just stupid. The director should really cut this part out instead of the rehearsal of the revolutionary ballet scene which is now edited out but kept in the bonus section of published DVD.
Still it's a worth seeing movie. But I really think it doesn't worth more than six stars.
First, say something good about this movie.
It's about a dancer, a quite famous one. Although Mr. Li's name was rarely mentioned in mainland China, anybody who works inside the art circle knows a little bit about him. He's once a model to every dancing students in China. After his decision of living in America, everything changed. He's like most of other artists live abroad coming from the Red China, remain as someone called traitor. It's good to have his story filmed and I think it will help his book, an autobiography, asked by people who's curious about that period. This is the first good thing.
As a movie about a dancer, dancing should no doubt take a big role in it. As I see in the movie, those sections from Giselle, Le Sacre du Printemps, Swanlake and event a glimpse of Red Female Troops which is very famous and is indeed created under the direction of Madame Mao. Those dancing sections are long enough and performers are so skillful to handle that. I think it's been a great job for the choreographer who made these dances. Thank to who ever responsible for this.
The script is not so strictly connected to the period, but it's still can be called objective. With some confusion of time and language they use, the basic idea inside the characters are quite real.
So much for praise, and I should move on to criticism.
First is about the book. I don't think these kind of books can be really trusted, though it is called autobiography. People with such background as Mr Li often connects other's stories to their own. I don't mean this affirmatively, since I haven't got any chance to read this book. I just say that there should be some doubts in it. If everything is so clear in it, there shouldn't have been so much confusion in costumes, buildings, ideas which are showed in the movie. I hope these confusions are from the script writer or other crew members who are not so familiar to Chinese situation in that period. It had been a great change after Chairman Mao's death. The clearness of time and policy connected to that will be very helpful to people who watch this movie.
Secondly, I want to say that the part in which Mr Li's parents was brought to Houston to watch a ballet performance is to affected. It's totally beyond what will happen to Chinese. In such circumstance, most Chinese will still act restrained. Also the last part where Mary and Li dance under a red flag. It's just stupid. The director should really cut this part out instead of the rehearsal of the revolutionary ballet scene which is now edited out but kept in the bonus section of published DVD.
Still it's a worth seeing movie. But I really think it doesn't worth more than six stars.